Omani Gun Belts. Bedouin Martini Henry Ammo Belts.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Here is a full load on the now reasonably brought alive gunbelt. The ammo is a mixture of Martini Henry 577/450 caliber including some crinkley brass original stuff which was prone to breach jam and the Kynoch solid case.(Interestingly Kynoch Co was the forerunner to ICI) This bullet was powerful ~ and could knock a man off a horse at 1000 yards, and could penetrate all 18 hardwood planks each an inch thick. Incredibly for a single shot, falling block action, in a trained infantrymans hands 21 rounds a minute was achieved.
The Martini Henry became a favourite weapon of the bedouin and Arabian hunters, and of course the askiri or palace guards and were brought into this part of Arabia through Muscat and Ajman. The requirement was then for a belt to carry the 30 or so rounds thus the project seen here. Omani belts are waist belts not cross belts often seen in other neighboring countries. Omani people are and were smaller thus the belts are trim to say the least ! Rounds were used refilled and used again almost to destruction and bullets are often cut back to quarter size for different targets; pointless to put a hole the size of a tennis ball in say a hare or grouse...and amazingly Arab hunters cut the barrels off by about 12 inches lightening the entire weapon and ridding it of the bayonet lug to boot...and without losing hardly any accuracy ! Ok here is the belt...